Caepet sweeper



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(ModeL) W. J. DREW.

CARPET SWEEPER.

No. 399,136. Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

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(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. J. DREW.

UARPET SWEEPER.

No. 399,136. Patented Man 5, 1889.

Phna-Lllhognpher, Washington. 110,

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

W'ALTER J. DRElV, OF GRANIIRAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE BIS- SELL CARPET SlVEEPE-R COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CARPET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,136, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed March 19, 1887. Serial No. 231,535. (Motleld To all 1.0710120 it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVALTER J. DREW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of 1 Michigan, have invented certain new and usei ful Improvements in Carpet-Sweepers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carpet-sweepers; and it has for its objects to provide novel, simple, economical, and efficient spring-wire holders for the drive-wheels, whereby they have under all circumstances the necessary frictional contact with the pulley of the brush-shaft, and are properly supported on both sides, and therefore free from all side draft, while extraneous wheel-supporting devices are avoided; to provide novel means for. supporting the journals of the brush-shaft, whereby it has a solid but adjustable support, and can be conveniently and rapidly removed and replaced, while the employment of springs for securing the brush-shaft journal in its bearing is entirely avoided, and to provide novel and simple means whereby the sweeper-casing can be emptied through its end walls.

To such ends the invention consists in the features of construction and combinations of devices hereinafter described and claimed, 1 reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view showing the inner end wall of the casing broken away; Fig. 2,a detail perspective view of one of the spring-wire drive-wheel holders; Figs. 3 and 4, detail views showing modifications in the form of the spring-wire drive-wheel holders; Fig. 5, a detail transverse sectional view showing the vertically-movable plate for the brush-shat t raised to its h i ghost position; Fig. (3, a detail sectional view on the line so .90, Fig". 1; Fig. 7, an end view of the casing, showing the connected gates for discharging the dustpans.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now dc scribe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, where- The numeral 1 indicates a carpet-sweeper casing, which is here shown as having two end walls located adjacent to each other, as at 2 and 3, the former being the inside end wall. I do not confine myself, however, to this specific construction, as variations may be made without changing the character of my invention, it only being necessary to provide some means for supporting the two extremities of each wheelholder, hereinafter explained. The casing at one or both ends is provided with a vertically-sliding plate, 5, which is arranged in a guideway or channel, (5, formed in the end wall 3, the lower end of the plate having a seat, 8, to re ceive the journal of a brush-shaft, which latter I do not deem it necessary to illustrate, as it will be of ordinary construction. The plates 5 are held in place by bars 7, extending across the g'i'lideways or channels 6 and confined by screws 9, which may be tightened sufficiently to create friction on the plates to hold them in position; but at the same time the plates 5 are free to be moved vertically at all times to such an extent that a brush-shaft can beconveniently removed and replaced without manipulating the screws i 9, while the brush-shaft will be retained in place without the employment of connection with the said plates 5.

a spring in The metal. below the seat 8 is cut away to enable the ex.- tremity of the journal to enter and be guided to the seat, and at the upper ends of the plates are provided with lugs or flanges 10, to abut the cross-bars 7 and prevent the entire withdrawal of the plates from the guideways or channels.

The vertically-sliding plate can be used at both ends of the casing to support the brushshaft; but such plate is more especially designed for those sweepers wherein the motive power for driving the brush is at one end only of the casing. In this case the plate is only used at one end of the brush-shaft, the other end of the latter being supported by any well-known bearing.

In order to support the drive-wheels at both sides and free the wheels from side draft, I provide a wheel-holder composed of a single continuous piece of spring-wire bent to form a journal or axle, 11, on which the drivewheel can revolve, such wire being continued at both ends of the journal or axle into side supports, 12, which extend along the opposite sides of the wheel, and then turn upward to form arms 13, which at their extremities are both bent laterally in opposite directions to form pivots, as at it, Fig. 2, which are supported in bearings, such as the end walls, 2 and 3, Fig. 6. The wire side supports, 12, extend from the journal or axle 11 toward the side wall, 4, of the sweeper-casin g, and after passing beyond the periphery of the drivewheel15 such side supports are bent at an acute angle and extend upward and toward the central longitudinal line of the casing. A rigid stay-rod, 16, is located in the angle formed by the upward extension of the wire side support-s, 12, and this stay-rod serves as a stop to prevent the drive -wheels from springing to the center of the casin g and impeding the insertion of the brush-shaft when the sweeper-casing is turned upside down. By this construction I provide a very economical spring-holder for the drive-wheel, and one which is not only formed of a single continuous piece of spring-wire, but one wherein the wire'itself constitutes the axle for the wheel, and also extends along both sides of the wheel in the form of side supports, 12, which are hung from the casing, thereby relieving the drive-wheel entirely from side draft. This is regarded as an improvement over the wheel-holder shown in my Letters Patent No. 353,294, and, since the wire itself forms the axle as well as two side supports, it is regarded as an improvement over those holders which comprise separate pieces of metal, such as yokes carried by wire springs, in Patents No. 233,371, to Plumb, and No. 239,921, to liissell.

The spring-wire, formed as described, constitutes in itself the axle and two side supports for each wheel, and, besides, the sweep ercasing can be yicldingl y lowered toward the floor or surface traversed by pressure on the pushing and pulling handle, thereby causing the d rive-wheels to enter the casing and press laterally against the li'riction-gear or pulley on the brush-shaft with more or less pressure, according to the force exerted on the casing in lowering it toward the surface traversed.

\Vhile in my invention the spring-wire wheel-holder preserves the required frictional contact between the drive-wheel and the friction-gear on the lnush-shaft by the vertical and lateral movements of the drive-wheel relatively to the casing, I do not wish to be understood as broadly claiming such, as it is covered by Letters Patent No. 233,37 1, issued to A. D. Plumb.

In Figs. 3 and t I exhibit modi tications having features in com men with the wheel-holder heretofore described. In Fig. 3 the arms 13 have their upper extremities bent to rest against the inside of a top part of the easing, and the stay-rod 10 is arranged across at the angle formed by such bending of the arms 13. The stay-rod 16 in Fig. 3

wheehholder in position, and also servesas a pivot-bearing for such wheel-holder, whereby the latter can swing, while the extension of the arms 13 above the stay-rod it, by bearing against the top of the casing, prevents the drive-wheels from springing tothe center of the casing for the same purpose as mentioned with reference to the stay-rod in Fig. 2. In Fig. 4 the side supports, 12, are bent into spiral form, the extremities having the lateral pivots 1-1, which are pivoted to parts of the casing.

In the end wall of the casing I provide openings 17, Fig. '7, which are of such size as to serve as discharge-mouths for the dust-pans 18 and permit easy emptying of the sweepings. These openings are covered by gates composed of fiat plates 19, pivotally mounted at 20 on the end wall of the casing, and while the gates are of substantially similar shape the pivotal attachment of one is below and of the other above a horizontal line passing about centrally through their adjacent ends- 2 that is to say, the pivot 20 of one gate is adjacentto its upper edge and of the other about the same distance from its lower edge, both being at the adjacent ends of the gates. The two gates are connected by a link, 21, pivotally connected at its ends, as at 22, to 'the' ends of such gates, the arrangement of the pivots alternating with the location of the pivots 20. The link has a duplex curve or is substantially S-shaped, to avoid striking ribs 23, provided on the gates to stiffen and strengthen them, which ribs may also serve as means for raising and lowering the gates. By this arrangement the movement of one gate imparts a corresponding movement to the other, and they provide simple means for uncovering the openings to discharge the contents of the dust-pans. Y

hat I claim isl. The combination, with the drive-wheel of a carpetsweeper, of a wheel-holder composed of a single continuous piece of springwire bent to form an axle, on which the wheel revolves, and continued at both ends of the axle into two side supports extending along opposite sides of the wheel to free the latter from side draft, both side supports having their extremities secured to parts of the sweeper-casing, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the drive-wheel of a carpet-sweeper, of a wheel-holder composed of a single continuous piece of springwire bent to form an axle, on which the wheel revolves, and continued at both ends of the axle into two side supports extending along the opposite sides of the wheel to free the latter from side draft, both of said side supports having their extremities turned laterally into pivots which are pivoted to parts of th e swceper-casin g, substantially as described;

3. The combination, with the drive-wheel of a carpet-sweeper, of a wheel-holder coniposed of a single continuous piece of springretains the wire bent to form an axle, on which the wheel.

revolves, and continued at both ends of the axle into two supporting-arms extending along the opposite sides of the wheel beyond the periphery thereof, and bent at an angle to the said side suppo1't-ing-a-r1ns and pivotally supported, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a carpet-sweeper casing, of a sliding plate having a seat for the journal of a brush-shaft and free to slide "ortica-lly at all times for the insertion and rcmoval of the brush-shaft, substantially as de- 5 channel, having at its upper end a lug and at its lower end a seat for the journal of a brushshaft, and a cross-bar extending over the plate, secured to the casing, and confining the plate in the channel, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a carpet-sweeper easing having discharge-openings, of movable gates and a link-connectionbetween the gates, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with a carpet-sweeper casing having dust-pans and discharge-openings therefor, of pivoted gates and a link pivotally connected with the gates, said link having its pivots alternating with the pivots of the gates, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VALTER J. DREW.

Vitnesses:

EMILY A. PELTON, EDWARD TAGGABT. 

